Christmas in Drachma-or is it?
by TheCastleOfLionsAndPaladins
Summary: Anand gives Celina a call, telling her about a holiday in Drachma called Christmas. Celina finds it slightly stupid and weird but interesting enough to keep the conversation with her fiance going. (AU where Christmas is a thing in Drachma, Santa Bashing) [One-shot for the holidays and a dedication to long-distance-relationship-couples] Part 1 of the "TCG Series" One-Shots.


**HI EVERYONE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HANUKKAH/WHATEVER YOU'RE CELEBRATING!**

 **I know I could have just given you guys another chapter if I was making something for Christmas, but I couldn't help myself and this was the only thing that wanted to be written so I wrote it.**

 **Happy Holidays, people and thanks for reading!**

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RING! RING! RING! RING

18-year-old Celina yawned and picked up the phone on her bedside table, putting it to the left side of her face and groaning, "Who is it and why are you phoning me at this ungodly hour of the morning?"

" _Actually it's about midday where I am right now, honey._ "

Celina jumped out of bed in shock, "ANAND?!"

A laugh, " _That's me, Celina! It's really good to hear your voice on this great holiday!_ "

"Yeah, it's great to hear you too, Anand, I miss you." Celina answered, twiddling with the phone-cord, "Wait, holiday?"

A sound of confirmation as if he was nodding his head, " _Yeah, you see, up here in the north they have this holiday called Christmas where everyone gets together with their loved ones and ex-changed presents-it's just like a Birthday party, only it's everyone's birthday! Today is the Eve of it, so I though why not I call you._ "

"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Celina rejoiced, now using her shoulder to keep the phone to her face, "Are you having fun with whoever you're staying with?"

" _Uh-hun! I'm helping out in the kitchen with the Christmas dinner and helping the younger kids wrap the presents they want to give to each other and the adults._ "

"That reminds me," Celina stated, a small frown appear on her face as she opened a draw, "you never did tell me where you were staying."

" _I've been at this hotel called the Knight's Arms, but I've been at the orphanage for most of my time in the capital of Drachma._ "

"YOU'RE IN DRACHMA?!" Celina screamed, dropping the shirt in her hands in exchange for grabbing the phone, "AREN'T WE STILL AT ODDS WITH THEM?!"

" _Calm down, calm down, okay? Hehe, you'd think I'd told you I was suicidal. The people up here don't care much for my blonde hair so long as I show off my red eyes; I've asked and people up here just say they get Ishvalan refuges up here a lot, so they don't mind I'm part Amestrian so long as I'm not with the military. Which everyone knows I'm not._ "

Celina sighed, picking up the black long-sleeved shirt, "Jeez, way to give me a heart attack, babe. And on a very important holiday in Drachma no less. Why do people celebrate Christmas up there anyway?"

" _Apparently the first Holy King of Drachma was born on this holiday and though no one follows whatever religion this Holy King was featured in, people still celebrate the holiday more for the sake of an excuse to be with family and loved ones rather then for the forgotten religion. There's also an immortal man named Father Christmas who sends gifts to the good little boys and girls of Drachma by riding his magical flying slay that is haled around by magical flying reindeer around the country._ "

Celina laughed at the idea, slipping her hand through a sleeve, "Flying reindeer and an immortal?! Sounds to me like a gang of Chimera and Homunculus causing trouble."

" _That's what I thought too until I saw someone dressing up as this Father Christmas. He's a fat man in a red suit with a long white beard who tells kids to sit in his lap as they tell him what they want for Christmas; apparently._ "

Celina laughed again, this time less amused as she grabbed a pair of thermal jeans, "Sounds to me like we got a problem on our hands with this Father Christmas. Should Edward, Alphonse and I come up there so we can get rid of this immortal pedo? Or can you handle it yourself?"

" _That won't be necessary, Celina. Izumi's cousin is up here and keeps a very close eye on the kids when they go near a Father Christmas; the only incident we've had so far includes the Fathers whimpering whenever the kids leave and all of them looking like they would shit themselves when Zuko so much as looked at them._ "

"Yeah, a cousin of Izumi's would be like that," The Chimera girl grinned as she walked around her bed room, getting a pair of socks, "I swear fierceness is as thick in the Curtis and Harnet family bloodline as sparkles are in the Armstrong family."

Another laugh, " _Oh yeah, her cousin is scary all right. But you wanna know what my favorite tradition up here is?_ "

"I wouldn't mind hearing about it, no." Celina nodded, wanting to hear her fiance's voice for a little longer, "Give me a second though, I need to switch to the phone in the kitchen so I can make some breakfast."

" _Sure thing._ "

Celina put the phone on the coffee table by her bed, picked up the one in the kitchen, then went back into her room to shut the phone in there off. She picked up the kitchen phone and went about her breakfast making; which would consist of a ham-sandwich.

"Okay, I'm back, so what's your favorite tradition up there?" Celina asked.

" _Actually it's my second favorite tradition, but I'll still tell you about it. It's called carol singing; it's when a small group of people wonder the streets and sing Christmas songs, spreading cheer and joy around. Sometimes the carolers will stand around with their hats on the floor and people throw money into it to show they like their singing and all the money goes to whatever charity or special cause the carolers were singing for and they can be anything! From gathering money so the homeless will get a decent meal for Christmas and a roof over their heads to making the water system in a public building better._ "

"Wow!" Celina grinned, munching on her finished ham-sandwich, "That does sound amazing! But if that's your second favorite tradition, what's your first?"

" _Look out the window._ "

"What?" Celina questioned.

A chuckle, " _Look out the window, Celina._ "

"Okay…" Celina trailed off and did as she was told.

And down in the phone booth near her apartment she spotted a figure with red eyes, brown skin and blonde hair, waving at her and grinning.

It was a 22-year-old Anand, " _My favorite tradition is coming home to the people you love most. Such as your patiently waiting fiance who owns your heart and soul._ "

Tears of joy began running down Celina's smiling face and within the span of 10 seconds, she'd hung up the phone, grabbed a pair of boats and was running down the stairs of her apartment. She got to the ground floor in near record time and as Anand climbed out of the phone box, she ran to him.

When the two grinning young adults reached each other, Celina jumped into Anand's arms, laughing and crying as Anand spun her around a little; he was also laughing. Celina was so happy; Anand was home for "the holidays", the snow was falling all around and painting the scene a stainless and pure white that made it seem as if the rest of the world wasn't there…

" _There's nothing in the world that can make this moment more perfect._ " Celina thought.

Anand stopped spinning her and lifted one of his hands from her waist. Celina looked up to see a small plant with white berries on it and green leaves dangling between his fingers.

"What's that?" Celina asked.

Anand chuckled, "It's another tradition; the plant is called mistletoe and if you're caught standing under it with someone, you have to kiss."

" _I was wrong._ " Celina realized as Anand and she shared their first kiss for the longest time, " _Now it really is the perfect moment._ "

And with the snow falling around them, leaving the young lovers in their own world, they knew then and there that this was the best gift they could have gotten for the holidays.

Because they were finally with the person they loved most.


End file.
